Student Titles Policy

Background

The Research Foundation (RF) encourages the employment of full-time SUNY students on sponsored programs relating to their fields of study. In order to do this, a student fringe benefit charge has been established for full-time SUNY students, which is lower than the charge on salaries and wages paid non-student employees.

The student fringe benefit rate is charged against salaries and wages paid employees appointed to the student titles.

Designated Student Titles

The following titles are designated student titles:

Project Instructional Assistant

Research Project Assistant

Research Graduate Assistant

Research Aide

Senior Research Aide

Camp Counselor  Student

Policy: Student Criteria

In order for an employee to be appointed to a student title, the employee must satisfy all three of the following criteria:

The employee is enrolled as a full-time SUNY student. An employee is a SUNY student during the period that begins on the first day of the first semesterin which he or she is enrolled and ends with the last day of the last semester during which he or she is enrolled.

The employee is working part time or, if employed full time in the summer, was enrolled as a full-time student during the preceding academic year.

The employee is engaged in work related to the student's education and training that leads to the fulfillment of academic requirements.

When any one of the three criteria is not satisfied, the employee must be appointed to a nonstudent title. Then the current established Research Foundation fringe benefit rate would be applied to salaries and wages earned, and the employee would be eligible for fringe benefits on the same basis as other employees.

Responsibilities

Operating Locations

The Research Foundation operations manager is responsible for ensuring that

employees working under student titles are correctly classified.

Central Office

The director of the Office of Employee Services is responsible for

advising operating locations of any changes pertaining to student titles or changes in the student fringe benefit rate.